Look Beneath the Surface

Ripples in a pond

I am not just what you see. I have strength you cannot imagine. I have endured more than most. I’ve lived through nightmares that haunt me still. You don’t see my struggles but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. You see me smiling and nodding, pretending to understand conversations I can’t follow. You see me successful but not the work it took to get there. My pain is real, even if you don’t see it.

I am who I am. I want to like myself. I think of what I’ve overcome and I’m proud to be the woman you see. I try to be a good Christian, a good wife, a good mother – the roles I play and take pleasure in. I’m just me.

We stand in judgment of others without knowing the whole story. We see the surface. We don’t see the struggle. We don’t see the accomplishment. We don’t see the tears that have been shed in private. We don’t see the acting skills at play. We don’t see it but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. What you see is a minute amount of who we really are. We have goals and aspirations we may never see come to fruition but that doesn’t mean we aren’t trying everyday to reach our goals.

Be kind to people because you never know what they’re struggling with. Don’t put your own fears on us. Don’t minimize us because you don’t understand. Indra Nooyi, former CEO of Pepsi, spoke about assuming positive intent. Don’t assume the worst. Assume everyone is doing their best. Assume everyone is trying to be loving, responsible, capable. Assume the heart is there even when the results are not.

Look beneath the surface. You may be surprised by what you find.

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Photo by Jackson Hendry on Unsplash